How businesses can handle shipping & returns for heavy items
Samir Kamnani
·February 12, 2025
Does your business sell oversized items?
If your ecommerce store stocks large products such as furniture, appliances, large electronics, or rugs, you’ll need to be smart when it comes to managing your logistics strategy.
With logistics costs already on the rise, the more your shipment weighs, the more you (or your customer) will have to pay to get it to its destination. And, in the event that the customer doesn’t want to keep the item, who’s responsible for the return shipping fees—you, or them?
Before marketing your products, think through a solid plan for managing shipping costs sustainably. Here’s what you’ll need to know.
Shipping costs for larger items
Shipping costs are determined by a combination of factors, including distance to destination, shipping speed, type of packaging, and, most notably, weight, up to a maximum of 150 pounds. For packages weighing at least 150 pounds, the item is considered to be freight, and subject to freight shipping costs and delivery times (which are typically slower).
For packages weighing up to 70 pounds, USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate is your best option. To ship a package in a large flat rate box, you’d pay $26.30 for three-day delivery from Jacksonville, Florida to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Once you get beyond that limit, you’ll need to choose a private carrier. Costs can vary quite a bit, based on the type of carrier service you select and its route, but are much higher than the Flat Rate mail service. For instance, shipping a 72-pound package across the same route would cost more than $400 for 3-day shipping. If you decide to opt for overnight shipping, that price jumps up to $865.23!
Saving money on shipping
Obviously, the best way to save money on shipping is to stay below the 70-pound weight limit so that you can take advantage of economy shipping pricing. Even for larger items, you can generally do this by separating your shipment into multiple boxes, each of which fall under the 70-pound weight threshold.
When communicating with your shopper, make sure that they know how many boxes to expect in their delivery, as they may not all arrive at the same time. Provide separate order tracking data on each shipment, and confirm the arrival of each box, with a description of what’s inside. By offering clear order tracking, you can prevent confusion and make sure that your shopper knows when their order is complete.
Alternate shipping options
That said, if your customer wants the item faster, consider offering other delivery methods at their expense, such as UPS, FedEx, or a private courier service. You may also need to add an additional surcharge if the shopper wants white-glove delivery with in-room set up and assembly, which some last-mile logistics providers will offer for an additional fee.
Many shoppers are willing to pay more for a premium experience—so by giving them a menu of delivery options, they can choose the mix of speed, cost, and convenience that fits their needs.
Managing reverse logistics for heavy items
But what happens if the shopper decides they don’t want to keep the item? Is it your responsibility to foot the bill for return shipping?
Not necessarily—in fact, more than 40% of retailers no longer offer free return shipping on most types of purchases. So what should you do instead when it comes to returns management?
Free exchanges, paid returns
As an alternative, the ecommerce furniture shop Article provides one model worth considering. They offer a 30-day risk-free trial period for all of their furniture and home decor products. If the shopper decides to exchange the item for another product, return shipping is free on the first exchange, though the customer must pay for additional return shipping fees if they decide to make another swap. If they ask for a refund, most returns are subject to a $49 return shipping fee.
Offset your return costs
At Loop, we offer retailers the opportunity to provide their shoppers with peace of mind around product returns through our Offset product. When Offset is enabled, you can ask shoppers when they’re purchasing a product if they’d like to pay now for access to free return shipping later. For example, you might ask them to pay a small percentage of the price now (e.g. $15), versus $50 (for return shipping) later if they don’t choose to purchase Offset. By paying upfront, you’ll be able to build a cash buffer to protect your margins from the high costs of reverse logistics while providing your customers with a predictable and convenient returns experience.
Don’t request the item back
In some cases, it’s not a cost-effective option for your brand to ship the package back to your warehouse, especially if you’re unlikely to resell it at full retail value. In this case, consider partnering with a local donation or recycling facility in the customer’s area that can pick up the item and repurpose it. You also offer a surprise and delight moment to build customer loyalty but allowing the customer to keep the item, rather than return.
Building the right returns policy
Your returns policy should include special considerations for bulky items, such as ensuring that they are repackaged in their original packaging to be eligible for a return. If the shopper isn’t able to repackage the item, you may include a charge for home pick-up that includes repackaging based on your specifications. For such items, you should also wait until the product has been visually inspected at your warehouse to make sure that there is no damage before granting a refund. By using Loop’s Workflows, you’ll be able to set up custom rules for your heavy products, and automate policy enforcement based on the item’s criteria.
Selling large furniture and other heavy items may be a little more complicated logistically, but with the right approach to shipping and returns, you’ll be able to build a policy that works for both your brand and your customers.
Want to see how Loop can help? Get in touch for a demo.
In this article
Stay in the loop
Subscribe for product updates and Loop's biweekly newsletter.
Retain more revenue with Loop today
With Loop, your brand can offer everything from refunds to direct exchanges to shopper incentives and more. Even better? These exchanges build your business.